


Just Once?

by poiregourmande



Series: Once [1]
Category: Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-24 14:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13216173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poiregourmande/pseuds/poiregourmande
Summary: When Steven hears that Andrew and Adam hooked up once, he makes it his personal mission to get them back together... and join them.





	1. Chapter 1

“Adam and I hooked up once.”

Steven’s mind short-circuits. He takes a big gulp of his fruity cocktail to hide his discomfort – anything to avoid looking at Andrew. Try as he might to rack his brain, he can’t remember how on earth they got to a topic where Andrew would willingly offer this kind of revelation.

Every single one of Steven’s brain cells is currently occupied with one of two things:

  1. Coming up with increasingly inappropriate images of Andrew and Adam together;
  2. Urging the rest of this face and body to act casual.



Out of all the possible replies one could have made to such a declaration, Steven blurts one at random:

“Just once?” He winces at how dumb he sounds – the farthest away possible from ‘casual’.

Andrew shrugs and takes a sip of beer – how is he so calm about this? Steven wants to scream.

“Yeah, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing – never came up again.”

“And you never talked about it afterwards?” Steven is taking long sips of his drink, now; his glass is almost empty and he doesn’t know how he’ll manage to stay calm without it to focus on.

Another shrug, accompanied this time by an almost undetectable smirk – if Steven didn’t spend most of his time studying Andrew’s features, he might have missed it.

“Well, you know us, big talkers, right?”

Andrew chuckles – a puff of breath, a bob of his Adam’s apple – Steven wonders if Adam has ever licked it, since it bears his name. He giggles at his internal pun, and for one of the first times he’s glad he has a rambly inner voice, because that laugh had the right timing to pass for a reaction to Andrew’s joke instead of his usual deer-in-the-headlights face he gets when he overanalyzes. Andrew drains the last of his beer and stands up.

“Get you anything else, big guy?”

Steven nods and chews his last ice cube. The crunch and the cold jolt him back to reality. When Andrew comes back with the drinks, he changes the subject and they manage to end the night without anymore brain-melting confessions, and a minimal amount of close-up shots of bearded kisses in Steven’s mind.

***

The rest of the weekend unfolds without too many unwanted coworkers-related fantasies, and Steven is confident he’ll have forgotten all about Andrew’s confession come Monday morning.

 _Pff. Yeah, right_ , says a voice in his mind. A voice which sounds strangely like Andrew’s.

Monday morning finds Steven at his desk, earlier than the others, as usual. It’s a good thing, too, because he manages to fit in one good hour of work before all goes awry.

He’s got his back to the door, headphones on, but somehow he instinctively knows the second Andrew and Adam walk in. Together, Steven notices with a jolt deep in his stomach. They settle down at their desks, greeting Steven in turn, and that’s it for Steven’s hopes of getting any work done today.

For the rest of the day, he is deeply aware of every single interaction between the two of them. He finds himself listening intently every time they talk to each other – he keeps his headphones on with nothing playing, just so nobody catches him eavesdropping.

He notices how they always look at each other and raise their eyebrows whenever someone says something dumb.

He notices how rarely they actually need words to speak – most of their conversations are looks, shrugs, and grunts, but somehow they understand each other perfectly.

With a rush of pride, he also notices that he understands most of their silent conversations too – after all these months working, travelling, and hanging out with them, looks like he picked up a thing or two.

He notices how close Andrew leans in to see something on Adam’s screen.

He notices how, every time Adam leaves his desk his hand grazes the back of Andrew’s chair, and Andrew leans back, as if his shoulders were greeting Adam’s fingertips.

Something tugs deep in Steven’s stomach at these shows of affection, at this bond between Adam and Andrew. At first Steven mistakes it for jealousy – he’s had feelings for Andrew for a while now, he might as well admit it – but it doesn’t make him feel shitty like jealousy usually does.

But suddenly Andrew says something Steven doesn’t catch and Adam laughs and Steven just can’t look away. A rare Adam Bianchi laugh is a small wonder – his eyes crinkle almost shut, his gleaming teeth make an uncommon appearance, he literally throws his head back – he is the very picture of mirth.

The laughter gains Andrew – you can’t not laugh along with Adam; his laughter is contagious. Andrew’s dimples transform his face, light him up like a Christmas tree. In his bliss he extends a hand in a playful push.

As soon as Andrew’s fingertips graze Adam’s bare forearm, a wave of something rushes through Steven. It takes him a second or two to identify it.

Pure desire.

He’s never felt anything like this before. Sure, he’s had crushes – he’s even been in love once or twice – but this? This is more passionate, more raw. And the fact that he’s feeling this way towards two people is also new.

And it’s not like he just has a crush on Andrew and on Adam at the same time. It’s about their togetherness. Steven is quickly falling for the relation between the two of them and frankly? He doesn’t know how that’s supposed to work.

He knows one thing, though.

He wants in.

***

The following week finds Steven increasingly attuned to every interaction between Adam and Andrew. He’s taken to isolate himself in a conference room on the other side of the building – it’s the only way he’s able to get some work done.

One thought keeps nagging at his mind, though.

_Just once?_

He can’t help thinking it’s a shame they never repeated the experience. Not just in a selfish I-want-in way, but because that they are so good together, so bonded. They should really make the most of it.

And also maybe if they smooched on the regular, they’d stop having this heavy sexual tension that draws Steven in like a magnet.

So yeah, someone should really do something about that.

***

As far as personal missions go, setting up his two best friends to pick things up where they left them, all so he can potentially maybe join in is a very un-Steven Lim thing to do.

Steven isn’t much of a flirt. He’s never even asked anyone out, so he has no clue where to start. He pulls out a pad of paper, one with the Buzzfeed header so it looks like he’s working, and starts scribbling:

**Steven Lim’s Mission Plan**

  1. _Get the subjects together._



Well, they’re together every day at work and they spend most of their free time hanging out together.

  1. _Get the subjects together in a favorable setting._



What constitutes a favorable setting? Maybe he should recreate the conditions of the first time they hooked up?

  1. _~~Get the subjects together in a favorable setting.~~ Recreate conditions of previous experiment._



But how should he know why and how they hooked up? Oh, he has dozens of theories; he’s – um – spent a lot of time reflecting on the subject late at night, but it proved – um – inconclusive?

Steven shakes his head and fidgets in his seat – that kind of ‘theorizing’ should really be reserved for when he’s in bed.

He can’t just go up to Andrew and ask him, can he? Like, the moment’s gone, and bringing the topic back up would just be awkward, right? But then again, when is Steven _not_ awkward?

  1. _~~Get the subjects together in a favorable setting. Recreate conditions of previous experiment.~~ Recreate conditions propitious to confessions._



He’ll just have to go out with Andrew again and try to steer the subject back to hook-ups.

You know, for science.

***

Luckily, Andrew is not the type of guy who needs to be tricked into going out for drinks – Steven didn’t even have to use one of his carefully crafted excuses to invite him.

They are two drinks in at Pacific Seas – Steven thought the warm, eerie vibe of the place, coupled with the fact that they first came here with Adam, would entice Andrew to go on a stroll down memory lane.

They’re seated on the same side of a booth – they are too used to squeeze together on a bench as tightly as they can to fit the shot; somehow it feels weird now to sit face to face, even when there’s no cameras.

They’ve reached Steven’s estimated best point of intoxication for confessions: still coherent and serious, but with their inhibitions lifted. He just needs to carefully steer the subject, now…

“So,” he looks away, avoiding Andrew’s eyes because he can always tell when Steven lies, “I heard Ryan and Shane hooked up last weekend.”

Andrew has never been one for office gossips, but he still lifts a bemused eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah, yeah – Sara told me.” Steven fiddles with his straw, playing innocent. He’s telling a flat-out lie, but at least it’s a plausible one. He just needs Andrew to believe him long enough to stay on the subject of hook-ups.

“Huh.” Andrew shrugs and flags the waitress for another drink.

“So, hook-ups with coworkers. Crazy, right?” Steven gives a chuckle that’s almost a giggle, trying to hide his rising panic.

Why isn’t Andrew sticking to the script in Steven’s head? If he did things would be so simple – Steven could just script that Adam would walk in and kiss Andrew, and…

 _Don’t go down that road here!_ He chides himself, feeling the telltale signs of arousal turning the tip of his ears red. He turns back to Andrew, wondering if his mental struggle is obvious.

Was Andrew sitting this close to him before?

Did he have his arm draped over the back of the seat, almost around Steven’s shoulders?

He _definitely_ didn’t have that look on his face – this mix of hunger and amusement, with these piercing eyes and that smirk.

“I know what you’re doing, Steven…” It sounds both enticing and threatening at the same time and Steven drains his drink for something to do and for courage.

“Bringing me here… talking about hook-ups…” Andrew continues, eyes boring into Steven’s soul. “You’re flirting with me, aren’t you?” A wolfish grin digs dimples in his cheeks.

“No!” Well, yes. But that’s not how the plan is meant to go! Andrew is supposed to get with Adam first!

Andrew tilts Steven’s chin up, leans in, until their noses are almost touching. “Are you sure?”

Steven gulps, but cannot repress an excited smile at Andrew’s insistence, at his closeness.

Andrew nods smugly. “Thought so.” His arm slides from the back of the seat and definitely rests around Steven’s shoulder, now.

Steven is suddenly glad he chose to wear a short-sleeved shirt, because Andrew’s thumb idly grazes at the top of his bicep, raising goose bumps that run up his spine and into his hairline.

The Mission Plan took an unexpected turn, but Steven thinks it’s still salvageable. Mentally, he adds two steps to it:

2\. _Observe how the situation changes with the addition of a third_ subject.  
      3. Bring _up the first experiment in conversation with Subject #1._

But for now, Andrew’s looking at him like he thinks he’s scared Steven off, so Steven should really stop thinking about the plan for a while and get out of his head. He blinks once or twice, focusing his gaze on Andrew, on his bright smile that looks half hopeful and half disbelieving, like he didn’t really think Steven was interested in him. He looks like Steven feels – in one word, smitten.

The realization brings a wave of uncharacteristic audacity in Steven that surprises everyone involved. Without stopping to think about it, he closes the few inches between them, shuts his eyes, and presses their lips together.

Andrew’s fingertips stutter on his shoulder; their breaths mix together in an incredulous but relieved chuckle. Andrew’s lips are warm and soft – adventurous after recovering from their initial surprise. His tongue explores Steven’s own lips and Steven’s mind points out that he probably tasted Adam the same way.

The thought emboldens him. He snakes an arm around Andrew’s waist, pulling him even closer. He wonders which inch of Andrew’s skin is yet undiscovered by Adam, and how he can remedy this.

A jolt of arousal in his lower abdomen calls him back to reality and all the ambient sounds of the bar rush back to his ears.

Right. They’re in public. He should probably rein it in. He pulls out of the kiss, eliciting a particularly delicious whine from Andrew. Steven presses their foreheads together, letting out a shaky breath.

“Somehow I don’t think we should continue down that road in a public place.”

“Oh? And where is that road leading?” Andrew asks, in mock innocence.

“To your bed?” Steven whispers shyly.

Scared by his own hardiness – he has never flirted before and now he’s completely off-script, saying that kind of saucy stuff like he had years of experience – he immediately feels his face and ears turning bright red. He takes his hands off Andrew and backs away from him, looking anywhere but at him.

“Hey, come back,” Andrew says, his tone softer than ever before.

Steven shakes his head, gaze fixed on his fidgety hands. “I’m sorry. I – I shouldn’t have said that. Too far too fast.”

“Hey, I don’t mind.” Andrew lays a hand on the seat between them, as close to Steven as possible without actually touching him, as if to show he’s respectful of his boundaries, but that he’ll be there whenever Steven is ready.

Something tugs inside Steven’s chest, and he’s filled with a rush of emotion that can’t be described as anything but love.

Andrew is such an amazing man; he knows Steven perfectly and always does everything he can to make sure Steven is comfortable and happy.

Steven lifts his eyes to Andrew’s and gives a small, soft smile. “Let’s take a walk.”

They pay and file quietly out of the bar. A slight chill in the night air is welcome, clearing Steven’s head and cooling down his – um – urges.

They walk down the block, hands in their pockets, but close enough together that they occasionally bump elbows. Andrew keeps silent, aware that Steven needs to figure out stuff in his head before voicing it sometimes. Steven is grateful for it and keeps shooting him glances and smiles so he doesn’t think something’s wrong.

“So,” Steven finally starts, taking a deep breath. They’ve reached a park and Andrew points at a bench. They sit down, thighs close together, and Steven stares up at the moon, because he knows if he looks at Andrew they’ll just end up making out again.

“So,” he repeats. “Sorry about that. I just want you so much it scares me, you know, especially since I don’t have a lot of experience with things like flirting, and making out, and – ” his throat closes up around the next word – “sex.”

He risks a glance at Andrew, who looks at him seriously, nodding like he totally understands and has all the time in the world to listen to Steven’s ramblings.

“And, like, I _do_ have fantasies and desires – you should see the things we do in my head in the middle of the night,” Steven chuckles and quickly chides himself because now is _not_ the time to get into this, and also he knows better than quoting Taylor Swift at Andrew, “but, um, it was going quite fast there in the bar and I – I kinda wanna take it slow, you know, to make sure it’s not just a hook-up. Just a one-time thing,” he adds, and can hear in his mind, _just once?_

Andrew’s obviously made the same connection, because he asks: “Is this about Adam?”

 _Of course it’s about Adam, that’s how it all began!_ Steven wants to scream because _now_ Andrew chooses to follow the script? After sending Steven on an emotional roller coaster all night?

Steven shrugs – at this point he’s completely lost; his Mission Plan has changed so many times it’s should be called Mission Guidelines That Everyone Will Cheerfully Ignore, and honestly, he just wants to kiss Andrew and stop worrying so much about the whole thing.

Andrew rakes a hand through his hair and lets out a long sigh.

“Look, you wanna know why it never happened again with Adam? Because we started Worth It. I love Adam; he’s funny, an amazing friend, and that one time with him was one of my best ever – ” Steven lets out a choked whine at that – “but to be absolutely honest, I fell in love with you. I haven’t thought about anyone else – haven’t desired anyone else since the very first episode we filmed. Adam knows – he’s always been able to read me like a book, and that’s why he hasn’t made another move on me since.”

Steven makes a strangled sound that’s halfway between a giggle and a groan, but really is the best reflection of what he’s feeling inside:

  1. He’s elated that Andrew is in love with him – he has to rein in his urge to kiss him again, honestly;
  2. He can’t believe all this time, the two boys he wanted to bring together and to join were apart _because of him_. How stupidly uncommunicative can three man be, really?



Time to break the cycle.

“This is so dumb,” he blurts out.

“Excuse me?” Andrew frowns, and Steven realizes that’s not what you’re supposed to say when the man you love confesses his feelings for you.

“Sorry, it’s just – ” he takes a deep breath; it’s now or never – “I’ve been obsessed with the idea of you and Adam together ever since you told me about it.”

“Really?” Andrew cocks an interested eyebrow.

Steven nods bashfully. “I – I want in. I kinda devised a plan to get you two back together again, actually.”

Andrew lets out a loud guffaw. “You did, didn’t you? It didn’t occur to you to just _talk_ to us?”

Steven feels the blood draining from his face and his jaw drops.

“I’m kidding,” Andrew quickly adds, in a mellow, soothing voice, taking Steven’s hand between his own. “I know you have trouble ordering pizza on the phone – I can imagine how much this must have freaked you out.”

Steven nods again, a growing smile lighting up his face as he realizes just how much Andrew knows him.

A flash of understanding passes through Andrew’s eyes. “Is that why you spent the week in hiding? You were too stressed out to be with us?”

“An also I couldn’t work with all the sexual tension between you and Adam.”

“There is no – ” But he stops and furrows his brow for a few seconds, as if trying to remember, until his eyes widen. “Oh. Alright.”

Steven chuckles, staring at the adorable pinkish hue currently spreading across Andrew’s cheeks. Before he can stop himself, he leans in and presses a feather-soft kiss on Andrew’s cheekbone.

Andrew cracks the widest of smiles and cuddles in closer. “So! What’s the plan to get Adam on board?”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the longest time, it was just Andrew and Adam. Then, they started Worth It and became the Three Musketeers. But now the whole balance has been upset: Steven and Andrew on one side, Adam on the other. And it’s a damn lonely side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is shorter, because Adam tends to be more concise than Steven. There's a bit of angst, but don't worry, everything will work out in the next chapter.

It takes Adam less than a day to figure out something’s happened between Steven and Andrew.

They walk in together on Monday morning, which means Steven arrives one whole hour later than he usually does. To everyone’s surprise, he’s not even nervous about his tardiness. He’s even cheerier than usual, if that’s at all possible. He sings under his breath while working. He high-fives people instead of saying hi like a normal person. There might even have been an instance or two of finger guns.

Andrew walks in a few steps behind him, as if to dissociate himself from this madness, but Adam cannot miss the positively ecstatic gleam in his eyes. When he thinks no one is watching, Andrew usually looks at Steven in an impressively accurate impression of the heart-eye emoji. This time, however, a forlorn sigh or an annoyed eye roll at himself doesn’t accompany the look. This time, Steven looks at Andrew the same way. Adam even catches one or two gestures that are clearly pulled-back touches when one or the other realizes they’re at work.

Adam is an observant guy: he notices details others don’t, and he usually knows he can trust his instincts to deduce meanings from his observations.

For this, however, he wants confirmation. He doesn’t know why – maybe just because these two are his best friends and he wants them to be happy. Yeah, that’s probably it.

He waits until Steven leaves his desk – and Andrew is done watching him walk away – to ask Andrew about it: eyebrows raised high in an interrogative way, and a nod towards Steven’s vacated desk chair.

Andrew answers with the biggest fucking grin he’s ever seen. Adam doesn’t believe Andrew’s ever been this happy, let alone expressing it. He nods and gives a small smile, an acknowledgement that he’s happy for them. That’s when Steven comes back to his desk and subtly caresses Andrew’s shoulder in passing.

 _That’s my thing_.

All of a sudden, Adam feels brusquely torn away from his desk, like he’s transported miles away. He watches the whole scene from afar, watches himself as it dawns on him.

Everything’s gonna change.

Andrew and Adam have a dynamic. They touch each other constantly. Neither of them is touchy-feely, but everyone needs some affection. They’d rather get it from each other. Because boundaries.

So this dynamic? This has to stop, obviously.

Andrew has Steven, now. Steven will provide him with all the affection he needs. Plus, Adam has no business getting handsy with a guy who’s got a boyfriend.

Andrew interrupts his thoughts with a warm hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, we were wondering if you had any plans tonight? We want to check out a new Thai place.”

Adam calculates how third-wheely he would be to tag along on one of their first dates. Very.

He shakes his head. “Busy.”

Andrew pats his shoulder. “Another time, then.”

The great thing about being Adam Bianchi is that you can have a complete melt-down at work and nobody would ever notice. It’s not like it shows on your face.

***

The following week is just more of the same. Andrew and Steven are damn adorable but think they’re being subtle; Adam retreats into his mind and nobody notices; they invite him to third-wheel on their dates – not in so many words – every night; he refuses monosyllabically.

He’s happy for them, really. But he just feels so alone. For the longest time, it was just Andrew and he. Then, they started Worth It and became the Three Musketeers. But now the whole balance has been upset: Steven and Andrew on one side, Adam on the other. And it’s a damn lonely side.

Why did everything have to change?

But maybe it didn’t.

Halfway through Friday afternoon, Andrew leans in to ask him a question about a video. He leans in close, one arm bracketing Adam’s shoulders and the other on the desk, right next to Adam’s mouse hand. Fingers graze Adam’s wrist. Adam kinda wants to breathe a relieved sigh at the much-missed touch.

When Adam turns to answer him, their faces are mere inches apart. Andrew’s breath is on his lips. Adam feels himself turn red. He’s grateful for his beard for hiding most of it.

He gives a grunt in answer. He doesn’t trust himself to speak. If he moves his lips this close to Andrew’s, there’s no telling where they might end up.

He turns away, back to his computer screen. Andrew’s proximity is excruciating. He has to get some distance.

Andrew, satisfied with his answer, rolls his chair back to his place. Not before he squeezes Adam’s shoulder, though.

_What does this mean?_

Adam takes a page out of Steven’s book and spends the rest of the day in a faraway conference room. He needs to be alone to process his feelings. The return of Andrew’s affections did Adam so much good. He’s kinda scared of how much he liked it. Of how much he could have missed it in only a few days. He seriously wanted to close his eyes and enjoy it. If that didn’t make him look like a creep, that is.

But Andrew’s with Steven. Adam doesn’t know where the line between friendly touching and cheating is. But he guesses with all the history and feelings between Andrew and him, they’re not that far from it. And as much as he loves Andrew and wants to be with him, it would kill him if Andrew broke Steven’s heart, even for him.

Adam just needs to take his feelings, hide them in a locked box, and avoid physical contact with Andrew forever. And also avoid being alone with Steven and Andrew for non-professional purposes.

He nods and opens his laptop. Now that his mess of a love life is regulated by strict rules, he can go back to work.

“There you are!” Steven literally bounds into the conference room. His arms are wide open and his smile is brighter than the glaring neon lights on the ceiling. Adam kinda wants to pull on some sunglasses just to look at him.

“How did you find me?”

“Apparently, this is the Official Melt-Down Room for the Worth It BoysTM!”

Yes, he did say the TM out loud.

“I’m not having a melt-down.”

“That’s great, then!” Steven drops on the couch next to him. If he were any closer, he’d be sitting in Adam’s lap. Something stirs in Adam’s groin at the thought.

“Andrew and I were worried about you!”

Adam just shrugs. A good thing about being quiet is that people don’t expect you to answer when they talk.

“Yeah,” Steven continues, undeterred by his silence, “You’ve disappeared in a hurry and you’ve been distant all week.”

“You’ve noticed.” Adam always thought he was kinda unreadable, or even invisible.

“Of course we did!” Steven splays his entire hand on Adam’s thigh. Even though the situation is super awkward, Adam’s groin sends his regards once again. “We love you.”

Adam’s groin isn’t his only organ interested in this conversation. His heart swells up like three damn sizes at Steven’s words.

He nods once and gives a tentative half-smile.

“We miss you, dude. Come out with us tonight?” Cue the puppy eyes.

Shit.

Breaking his new rules, _just once_ , can’t hurt, right?

“Alright.” He nods again, and this time he tries his hardest not to smile.

“Yesss!” Steven actually pumps his fist before wrapping his arms around Adam’s neck.

And then he does something that completely throws Adam off.

He kisses his cheek.

“Your beard tickles,” he giggles. “Eight o’clock tonight, don’t forget!” He shoots finger guns at Adam and skips out of the room.

Well, fuck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and Steven are determined to let Adam know just how much they love him, and to convince him to join their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is longer than the first two combined, but I didn't want to make it two chapters because I liked having one chapter by character POV. Enjoy spending all this time in Andrew's head, then!

Andrew’s head jerks up as soon as Steven walks back in the room. He’s become so attuned to Steven since he started developing feelings for him that he doesn’t even have to look up to know he’s there. If he had to put a name on it he’d say it’s kind of a vibe Steven’s putting out. A mix of sunshine and nervous energy.

This time he’s definitely more sunshine than nervous energy. He walks up to Andrew’s desk with an incredibly bright smile and two thumbs up.

“Adam said yes!”

Andrew could have guessed by only looking at him, but somehow Steven always feels the need to point out the obvious. He needs to vocally share his joy, and if that isn’t the most endearing damn thing about him…

Andrew high-fives him, fingers lingering together a few seconds longer than what would be normal for friends, but he doesn’t think anyone noticed. Everyone is wearing headphones and is pretty absorbed by their work.

“So what’s the plan?”

Steven pulls up his desk chair and his Buzzfeed pad. On it shines a title in bold letters:

**Steven Lim and Andrew Ilnyckyj’s Mission Plan**

Andrew’s heart is about to burst from how much of a dork his boyfriend – boyfriend! He rolls the word in his head like one pets a soft cat – really is.

Andrew rolls his eyes at the ridiculousness of it all, but smiles fondly because he’s truly smitten and loves every single thing Steven does. Steven notices neither the eyeroll nor the smile, already curled up in his desk chair like a kitten – how is he not falling over? – pen in hand, ready to plot.

“So, we need to tailor this to cater perfectly to Adam. We will woo him with every single one of his favorite things.”

Andrew chuckles. Leave it to Steven to use words like ‘woo’.

“Luckily,” Steven continues, “I’ve done my homework.” He pulls out another Buzzfeed pad, this one with a list titled **Adam Bianchi’s Favorite Things**. It spans two whole pages, and starts with:

  1. Andrew Ilnyckyj



Andrew feels himself blush at this. Goddammit, how much he misses Adam is insane. Being Steven’s boyfriend is incredible, but he _does_ miss his former closeness to Adam.

He thumbs through the pages. “What the hell is this?”

Steven’s beam goes even wider. He’s obviously very proud of himself. “I went through all the footage we’ve got of Adam eating for Worth It, and I noted all of his favorites.”

“You have too much time on your hands.” Andrew shakes his head in disbelief.

When Steven Lim wants something, he goes all in. Andrew can’t fathom working this hard to seduce someone. He usually just flirts a bit, ask them out, and kiss them when the vibe is right. But he has to admit, Steven’s way is way more fun. Putting in time and effort to make the person you like happy? Andrew’s heart swells again at how devoted Steven is. He really is fucking perfect and Andrew asks himself, for like the tenth time this week, how the hell a grumpy fucker like himself managed to get such an amazing sunshine-puppy for a boyfriend.

Steven giggles and Andrew realizes he’s been doing it again. Staring at Steven like he’s goodness incarnate, the most precious thing Andrew has ever seen in his life – and let’s be real, he is.

This look got him in trouble before – this is how he realized he was in love with Steven, when he saw the look while editing videos. This is also how Adam guessed it, and to be honest, it’s a wonder it took this long for Steven to notice too.

Take one glance at the comments on any Worth It episode, and you’ll see that their fans realized it too.

Andrew is usually a pretty private person, and normally this would bug him, but Steven Lim deserves the whole world knowing just how much he is loved.

But right now, the one who needs to be shown affection is Adam. So Andrew clears his throat and rolls his chair half an inch away from Steven. It kills him to do this, and Steven looks at him like the world is ending, but it’s necessary if they want to focus on the task at hand.

He jerks his head towards their nearby coworkers, trying to tell Steven he’s backing away because they’re at work. Steven nods knowingly, and by the determined way he furrows his brow, Andrew guesses he might be imagining himself as a secret agent on a mission.

“So, Adam?” Andrew says, to get them back on track.

“Right. Well, according to my research – ” here Steven clears his throat and takes a serious voice, as if presenting a paper to a panel of scholars – “the meals he most consistently loved are the steaks and the fried chicken.”

Andrew nods, an encouragement to continue.

“So for my methodology, I retained only the meals where he either commented on the food to say it’s good, or where he smiled or laughed. I ignored the dishes where he just nodded, because we want something he really loves right?”

Andrew can’t help but laugh. “I always forget you were a chemical engineer in your past life. You get so sciency sometimes.”

“I would be a mess without the scientific method to keep me organized. So, what do you think? Steak or fried chicken?”

Andrew ponders for a moment. “I feel like steak is more datey?”

“Yeah, and it goes better with wine. You know he loved the wine ep.”

Andrew nods as Steven scribbles their choice in their Mission Plan.

“And for dessert, he loves cake. And I know for a fact he’s wanted to try making authentic Black Forest cake from scratch for a while now.”

Andrew scoffs. “So we take him on a date but he has to make his own cake? What are we, animals?”

Steven playfully pushes him. “No, you don’t get it! Adam loves cooking, right? He says it relaxes him. And baking is so romantic! The three of us in a warm kitchen, he shows us proper ways to bake because we’re hopeless… You have to take your shirt off because you got flour on it…”

Steven and Andrew both look in the distance, as if they could actually see the scene. Judging by how Steven is squirming in his chair, Andrew’s dick is probably not the only one who’s interested by the idea.

“Can I help you?” Quinta snaps, bringing them back. They were both looking dreamily in her direction.

“Nope, Quinta. All good.” Steven places his Buzzfeed pad strategically in his lap and turns his chair away from her.

“Dinner and baking.” Andrew rakes a hand through his hair. “You got me convinced. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He’s got important matters to attend to in the men’s room.

***

Eight o’clock couldn’t come fast enough. Between finding a restaurant meeting the right criteria – good reviews, datey atmosphere, far enough to Adam’s place that he would have no choice but to come to Andrew’s afterwards – and shopping for the cake ingredients, they don’t get much work done for the rest of the day. It’s a good thing they’re on a Worth It hiatus, because between Steven’s freaking out last week, Adam’s melt-down this week, and Andrew being generally useless around the two of them, the Worth It boys had never worked less.

Steven snatches the Black Forest recipe from Adam’s Tasty folder and they leave together to get the ingredients. Andrew spends the entire time with the dumbest grin on his face. This feels so domestic, and to be honest, Andrew wouldn’t mind grocery shopping with Steven for the rest of his damn life. His dad told him once that’s how you know you’re in it for the long run and now Andrew sees what he meant.

They have a bit of trouble finding the cherries because they are out of season, but you don’t build a network of food contacts at Tasty without nothing to show for it and in the end, Rie pulls through with a list of addresses and a text reading simply “About time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Andrew grumbles. “She knows?”

“I think everyone who’s spent more than a few hours with the three of us knows,” Steven replies, not even trying to hide his joy. “When you and I pine, we pine hard. It’s not hard to work out.”

“So why were you so nervous about asking me out?”

“You were so smitten with Adam I never realized you were also crushing on me. So I never thought I had a chance.”

“Smitten with Adam? But I never – I was in love with you!”

And that’s when it hits Andrew. Standing in the middle of a farmer’s market parking lot, hand in hand with Steven. He’s in love with Adam and always has been.

He’s always thought it was just a deep friendship, with, of course, some physical attraction – I mean, have you seen the guy’s hands? And his smile? Whatever bound Adam and Andrew have is comfortable, it feels like home. It’s a lot like Adam: quite, almost unnoticeable. Andrew never knew love could feel like that. His past relationships all burned bright and burned quick.

And then he met Steven and love hit him hard and fast – bright, passionate love that takes hold of your every thought and never relents, and that’s the kind of love you read about so he had no trouble identifying it. It came crashing down on him and he knew he was screwed.

And he got together with Steven and thought that was it – that’s what it was supposed to be – and he never noticed something was missing until they got to work and Adam started acting weird, acting distant.

And although Andrew was happy with Steven, he was aching inside. There was a huge Adam-shaped hole in his heart and really, how come he’s never noticed it was love?

It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t make a big entrance, but sneaked its way into Andrew’s heart until Andrew couldn’t function without it.

But it was love.

Andrew lifts his eyes towards Steven. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

Andrew presses a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Without you I probably would have spent the rest of my life next to Adam without ever realizing we were in love.”

“Don’t thank me,” Steven answers solemnly. “Thank the Mission Plan.”

“Dork.”

***

It takes one look at Adam for Andrew to know he feels uneasy.

They meet in the parking lot at eight. Adam is leaning on the hood of Steven’s car, gaze fixed on his shoes, fiddling with one of the many friendship bracelets he always wears on his left wrist.

Andrew can read Adam as if he wrote him himself. He knows he always fidgets with his bracelets when he’s anxious. It kills Andrew to see him this worried when all they want is to show him a good time.

Steven and he wondered if they should just talk to him about what they want first, but Andrew pointed out that in his current state, he’d probably take it as a pity move and not believe that they really want him.

They have to show him just how much he means to them.

Andrew decides to start small. A simple gesture to put Adam at ease. A light shoulder squeeze, a soft look and a smile as he asks “Ready to go?”

Adam nods, and Andrew feels the tension in his shoulder lessen a bit.

They pile up in Steven’s car and it feels strangely like a Worth It shoot, but without the camera and the prepared material it feels both more intimate and more nerve-wracking.

Andrew turns around in his seat, making sure to include Adam in the conversation, making sure he doesn’t feel like the odd man out.

“So where are we going?” Adam asks, and that’s a good sign. Adam only speaks when he’s feeling okay – when he panics he tends to internalize everything until he’s completely closed off. Andrew knows what he has to do to pull him back out, to appease him, but he’s glad he doesn’t have to start the night that way.

“It’s a surprise!” Steven answers, with a grin so wide Andrew half-expects him to just exclaim ‘Surprise Fact!’

Adam gives a tiny smile at Steven’s enthusiasm.

“Can you at least give me a clue? Are we going to eat? Play volleyball? Learn to play the harp?”

Andrew chuckles. Adam is definitely letting his guard down. “We’re going to a restaurant.”

“But we’re not telling which!” Steven affirms steadfastly, determined to keep the surprise.

They had chosen a place they had already scouted out back when they did their first steak episode, but they never went because they weren’t allowed to film there.

“Ta-da!” Steven announces proudly when he pulls up in front of Boeuf.

“Boeuf?” Adam asks incredulously.

“Yeah! We never got around to try it!” Steven confirms.

Andrew and Adam get out of the car and wait for Steven to park around the block. Adam peeks in. The restaurant is dimly lit, with white tablecloths and candles on the tables. He glances at Andrew, frowning. “Isn’t it a bit… datey?”

Andrew shrugs and pushes his hands deep in his pockets, trying his best not to look like he just got busted.

Adam pulls at one of his bracelets again, and Andrew can see where the thread is unraveling from too much fiddling. Adam lets out a long sigh, one that Andrew can feel deep in his soul. A sigh containing all the unsaid, all the things Andrew wants to make disappear.

“Listen. You don’t have to bring me along on your dates with Steven. You two are together now and that’s fine. We can still hang out, but this?” Adam gestures hopelessly at the window behind him. “This is too much. I can’t.”

Andrew’s heart feels like it’s breaking, screaming, and reaching out all at once. A voice in his head bellows out _Kiss him!_ and it’s all Andrew can do not to follow this terrible urge. In the corner of his eye he notices Steven hurrying to join them and he lets out a long breath.

He tries to communicate everything he wants to say to Adam – everything he _cannot_ say, not yet – in one single look. “We _want_ you here. It’s gonna be great.”

For a second he can see two forces battling in Adam’s eyes: hope and despair, until Steven walks up to them and slings an arm around their shoulders.

“Gentlemen! Shall we?”

A glance at Adam tells Andrew he decided to stop fighting and go along with it.

A single bracelet lays unnoticed at their feet, thread worried to its breaking point.

***

Adam was right. It’s a very romantic place – theirs is the only table seating more than two guests. But once they’re settled in with menus and drinks, trying to decide what starters they should order – “If you take the crab puffs, I’ll have the foie gras and Andrew will order the sea bass and this way, we can try them all” – it feels so natural, so _them_. They’ve settled into a comfortable rhythm, all anxiety forgotten.

Andrew sits back in his chair and takes a content sip of wine. He’s with his boys, exactly where he’s meant to be, and hopefully, before the end of the night, Adam will see it too. The food arrives and, like a well-rehearsed dance, Steven and Andrew take turns commenting on the smells, the plating, comparing dishes, and it’s Adam’s turn to sit back and watch. Andrew can almost see his eyes zooming in on them as they eat, can almost hear the classical music they always add in post. They’re in their element and it’s enough to lend a bit of daring to Andrew.

He spears a bite of sea bass, careful to get a bit of all the garnishes and the sauce, to get the full experience, and brings his fork to Adam’s lips.

Adam plunges his eyes deep into Andrew’s before opening his mouth to take the bite. He licks his lips and smiles, not once dropping his gaze from Andrew’s.

“You like that?” Andrew asks, like he does, but it’s significantly softer, almost an intimate kind of question, unlike when he asks it on the show.

He cannot look away from Adam, who nods, but he can see out of the corner of his eye Steven looking between them with a grin. He feels more than he sees Steven placing one of his foie gras canapés in his plate. He probably just meant for Andrew to try it, but instead Andrew hands it to Adam. He holds it just right so that Adam’s lips lightly graze his fingertips as he opens his mouth to eat.

Adam smiles again, does that little laugh that means he really likes something, and Andrew can’t help himself.

“You like that?” he asks again, and it’s barely a whisper, more of a growl, and Steven straight-up whimpers.

The whimper is what does it. It brings Andrew back to reality, reminds him they’re in public, and although they are doing nothing more than eating, there’s a strong sexual undertone to the whole thing and this wasn’t really what tonight was all about.

They wanted to show love to Adam, to make him a place in their relationship. Sex is a part of that, sure, but it’s not the whole point, and now Andrew’s scared Adam will just think they want a threesome.

He sets down his fork, takes a grounding sip of wine, and smiles at his boys – a warm, loving smile, instead of the hungry gaze he must have sported seconds ago.

The waiter brings the second course – steak, of course – and the conversation cycles back to the food and how amazing it is. Adam genuinely seems to enjoy himself, and Andrew and Steven exchange elated glances above their wine glasses. They eat to their heart’s content, and finally the waiter brings the dessert menu. Adam reaches for it, but Steven stops him with a hand on his wrist.

“Actually… We’ve got something else planned.”

Andrew’s glad it was Steven who said it, with his sunshine grin and innocent eyes, because he’s sure that coming from himself it would have sounded like they were propositioning Adam. From Steven, however, it just sounds like he had planned another one of his surprises.

Steven had the least to drink, so he drives to Andrew’s place. Adam looks puzzled as they leave downtown and head towards residential neighborhoods. They pull up in front of Andrew’s house and Adam starts fidgeting with his bracelets again.

“Actually, guys, I’m beat. I think I’m just gonna head home…”

“Nonsense!” Steven bounds out of the car and hurries to open Adam’s door. “We have a surprise for you!”

Adam looks unconvinced but still gets out of the car. Andrew squeezes his shoulder in comfort. “You live on the other side of town. An Uber would set you back a few dozen bucks. Just come in and Steven will give you a ride later? Please?”

“I don’t wanna intrude on you guys…” Adam takes a step back and Andrew’s heart breaks a little. He misses being able to be physically close to Adam without him freaking out.

He tilts Adam’s chin up to look at him. “Just once, will you stop worrying? We wouldn’t invite you in if we didn’t want you here. We miss you.”

Adam nods and turns towards the house. He doesn’t smile, but Andrew can see a glint in his eyes that might be hope. Steven takes Adam’s hand and almost skip to the front door.

Andrew unlocks the door and lets them in. Adam hovers near the door, hands shoved deep in his pockets, obviously unsure of what he’s doing here.

But one cannot stay awkward for too long around Steven Lim, and that goes double for Steven Lim With A Mission Plan. He places his hands over Adam’s eyes – Andrew gets a pang of longing, but also a rush of fondness upon seeing the physical closeness between his boys. Adam instinctively pulls his hands out of his pockets to grope around for his surroundings.

“Don’t peek, now,” Steven says in his most endearing voice, and fuck if Andrew isn’t utterly in love with this. He wants to spend the rest of his damn life exactly like this.

Steven guides Adam to the kitchen and Andrew hurries ahead of them to make sure everything is ready. They’d set up all the ingredients for the cake after their shopping trip, and he just needed to get the eggs and cream out of the fridge, as well as a bottle of wine and three glasses, to complete the tableau.

Steven positions Adam in front of the whole spread, and slowly removes his hands from Adam’s eyes. Andrew notices with glee that Steven lets his hands fall to Adam’s shoulders and that Adam is doing nothing to shrug them off.

“Guess what we’re doing!” Steven announces.

Andrew busies himself with pouring the wine, but he can’t help watching Adam. He’s taking in all the ingredients on the kitchen island: flour and eggs, dark chocolate, whipping cream, kirsch, and a big basket of fresh black cherries.

Andrew can pinpoint the exact moment when Adam gets it: his eyebrows shoot up and he lets out a chuckle – his ‘I’m loving this’ chuckle, to be exact.

“Black Forest?” He looks at them in turn for confirmation. Andrew nods and grins, handing him a glass of wine.

Steven hugs Adam from behind. “We know how long you’ve wanted to try it.”

“You guys know it takes three days to make, right?”

Steven and Andrew share a puzzled glance.

“Yeah, you have to soak the cherries in kirsch overnight, then you make the cake and you wait another night so the cake soaks in the cherries and alcohol, and then on the third day you finish it. That’s why I never made it. I couldn’t reserve a kitchen at Tasty for three whole days.”

Steven looks sheepish. “Maybe we should have read further than the ingredient list…”

Andrew makes his way around the kitchen island, taking a sip of wine to look cool and collected. He leans back on the counter and looks deep into Adam’s eyes. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any plans this weekend,” he says in his deepest, lowest voice.

Adam gulps. “Guys, I can’t – ”

Andrew interrupts him, pressing a finger to Adam’s lips. It takes an inhuman dose of willpower not to replace his finger with his mouth. “I think it’s time we have a little talk.”

He looks at Steven over Adam’s shoulder, and he can see the first signs of anxiety gaining his boyfriend. He gives him a reassuring glance and guides them to the living room, bringing the bottle of wine along. He’s guessing they might need it.

Steven may be the one with the plans and the surprises, but when it comes to serious talks, to stating clearly their intentions, Andrew knows it’s his time to shine. He takes place on the coffee table, in front of Adam who sits down on the couch, their knees almost touching but not quite. Steven sits down on the couch, but at a safe distance from Adam.

Andrew leans in, elbows resting on his knees, eyes plunged deep into Adam’s.

“Steven and I are together. We’re good together, but we need you. We want you. Adam, you are our anchor. We would like to build this relationship with you. If you’re interested, we’d like to give us – ” he gestures at the three of them – “a shot. See where it could lead.”

Adam furrows his brow and looks down at his hands, folded in his lap. Andrew’s heart skips a beat and he can see Steven already jumping to the worst conclusions. But Adam doesn’t look offended or reluctant. He actually looks like he’s putting it all together – everything they said and did all week, until a look of understanding, maybe even relief, dawns over him.

A smile brightens his features and Steven looks like he’s about to implode from all the restless energy filling him. Andrew gives him a soft look, trying to ground him.

Adam rubs his hands up and down his thighs, as if he’s preparing for something, and it’s all Andrew can do not to jump on him. He knows he has to be patient and let Adam react at his own pace.

Adam finally nods, more to himself than to them, and extends a hand towards each of them. He splays a hand on Andrew’s knee and takes Steven’s hand with the other.

“I’ve missed you.” He looks right at Andrew, and Andrew understands everything he’s trying to say in so few words – he knows he’s referring to their intimacy, their physical closeness, the time they used to spend together – and they both nod with big dumb grins. And then Adam’s looking at Steven and pulling him in close and they all know he also means he missed them – The Three Musketeers.

Steven doesn’t need much persuading to close the distance between Adam and him, almost sitting in his lap, an arm around his shoulders, the other still holding his hand.

Andrew sits back a bit. He wants to lean in, join them, but he can’t help enjoying the view. He likes to look at his boys together – Steven so affectionate, eyes wide like he can’t quite believe The Mission Plan worked, and Adam with an amazingly bright grin, like all of the past week’s tension disappeared all of a sudden.

Steven leans in even closer, like he’s about to kiss Adam, and a rush of excitement fills Andrew. Steven only murmurs something in Adam’s ear, however, and suddenly Adam’s hand on Andrew’s knee is making its way up his thigh, his other hand cradling Andrew’s neck.

“Steven wants me to kiss you,” Adam says simply, and it’s the single hottest sentence he’s ever uttered.

Andrew can only nod, and _finally_. The lips, the beard, the strong grip on his thigh.

It all feels so familiar, his entire brain screams _home at last_. He feels himself melt into it and lets out a sound that is half a moan and half a muffled sob because he can’t handle how good it feels.

Adam is home and Steven is adventure and together they are the best damn thing to ever happen to Andrew.

Adam pulls away and Andrew can’t repress a little whine, but it turns into a gasp when Adam pulls Steven in and presses their lips together, one hand still on Andrew’s thigh.

That is the most gorgeous sight to ever grace Andrew’s eyes. If he thought he liked to watch his boys before, that was nothing compared to this. Steven’s ears are rapidly turning bright red, and Andrew knows that means he’s turned the hell on. Crinkles at the corner of Adam’s eyes suggest that he’s smiling through the kiss and one of his hands burrows into silver hair, his other hand mimicking the gestures on Andrew’s thigh.

And then Steven _laughs_ into the kiss and Adam’s grip tightens on Andrew, and, just, _fuck_.

Andrew could propose on the spot. It’s not like he ever will reach a point in his life when he tires of this.

“So,” Adam finally says, his lips red and swollen and so inviting, and Andrew should maybe listen to what he’s saying, “I’m thinking we prep these cherries – ” he turns bright red, as red as Steven’s ears, catching the double-entendre – “and then we find something to do while they soak _all night_.”

Man, when did Adam get so much game? The way he says ‘soak’ and ‘all night’ just exudes sex and Andrew knows they won’t have any problem wiling away the hours until the cherries are ready.

***

The first thing Andrew registers when he wakes up the next morning is warmth. So much warmth.

Keeping his eyes shut against the morning sun, he tries to focus. Skin. A lot of skin, all around him. Tangled limbs.

With a smile, he remembers the events of the previous night. He finally decides to open his eyes, because he can’t quite believe he really had a threesome with the two men he loves.

But it’s true. Through ajar eyelids he spies the long, lithe limbs of Steven on his right, and the fit, sturdy ones of Adam on his left. They both have an arm slung over Andrew’s chest, holding hands on top of him. His heart swells with love and he can’t repress a fond chuckle.

Steven stirs at his side. “Good morning,” he whispers, smiling brighter than the sun coming through the gap in the curtains. “We did it!” he adds, in a low but unmistakably cheerful voice. “High five!” he disentangles his hand from Adam’s and presents it to Andrew.

Andrew’s arms are wrapped around his boys and he doesn’t want to wake up Adam, so instead he just kisses Steven’s palm.

“I like this kind of high five,” Steven says.

“I like you.”

“And I like to sleep, but apparently that’s off the table.” Adam’s muffled voice comes from the crook of Andrew’s arm.

“Why sleep when we can cuddle?” Steven replies.

“Make me coffee first, then I might see your point.”

“On it!” Steven leaps out of bed, leaving Andrew alone with Adam.

They haven’t been alone together in a while – even before Andrew got together with Steven, the three of them always hung out together.

“Hi,” Andrew whispers.

“Morning.” Adam cuddles in closer and Andrew closes his arms around him.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Andrew mumbles into Adam’s hair.

“Me too. Remind me to thank Steven and his ridiculous plans.” They’d told him the whole story while they prepared the cherries the previous night.

“I think you more than thanked him last night,” Andrew chuckles.

“Right. Well, I’ll just have to thank him for the coffee, then.”

“Please do.”

***

Steven, Adam and Andrew sit at Andrew’s kitchen island, enjoying a delicious breakfast of homemade – by Adam – pancakes, when Steven looks at both of them in turn, a mischievous smile on his face.

“You know what sparked this whole thing? It’s when you told me you hooked up with Adam once. But I never got to hear more about it! How did it happen? Paint me a word picture.” Steven spreads his hands in front of him, as if framing a shot.

Andrew and Adam share a fond smile at the memory.

“Well, it had been a long, hard week,” Andrew starts.

“Maybe a month before Worth It started,” Adam adds, in the way that old couples do when they tell their story together. The thought warms Andrew’s heart.

“So it was a Friday night, and we were exhausted, so Adam invited me over for a beer. And at first we sat on opposite sides of the couch, but every time he got up for another round of beers – ”

“It was a six pack, so like three times,” Adam explains.

“ – he came back and sat a bit closer to me. So after the last time, I figured I’d return the courtesy so I just leaned in and kissed him.”

Steven, who had hidden his mouth in his hands through the whole story, couldn’t help letting out a squeal at this point. Andrew noticed with a stirring in his groin that the tips of his ears were turning beet red.

“And then what?”

“Well,” Adam answers, “that was the sign I had been waiting for since – well, since we met, really – so I went for it and just jumped his bones.”

Andrew never thought the phrase ‘jump his bones’ could be said lovingly, but there it was.

“I’m sorry I kept you guys apart all this time, though.” Steven scrunches his face.

“Don’t be. You brought us back together.”

“And that makes it all Worth It.”

“Dork.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I skipped over the smutty part. I didn't want to change the rating on this fic. I might write the scene as a one-shot and make it a series. Tell me in the comments in whose POV you'd like the sex scene to be!


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